


set free

by steviesbucks



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel
Genre: Autistic Jemma Simmons, Fluff, Gen, Haircuts, No Angst, Nonbinary Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:01:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26545645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steviesbucks/pseuds/steviesbucks
Summary: “Can you do me a favour?”“Sure, what do you need?”“Well… Fitz, could you shave my head for me?”
Relationships: Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	set free

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, all! Just a short little drabble that came to me the other day and I thought I’d write because as a trans autistic person, I love to see myself represented in fics due to a lack of characters in the media!   
> As always, massive thanks to my betas [hazzarat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazzarat) and [showzen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/showzen) !! I couldn't write without y'all <3

“Can you do me a favour?” 

“Sure, what do you need?”    
  
“Well… Fitz, could you shave my head for me?” 

They knew it was a bit of a sudden request, given the fact it was currently around midday on a Wednesday, but Simmons trusted Fitz and surely he would want to help them. 

Despite being nineteen years old, Jem had never had a haircut. Not properly, anyways, their parents always telling them it’d be a shame to ruin such lovely hair by getting it all cut off to “look like a boy” no matter how many times they insisted that many girls had short hair while they were growing up. Now there was nobody to tell Simmons what they could do with their hair but them; this was what they wanted and they wanted Fitz to help them. 

“Uh- I’m flattered, Jem, but- I don’t know the first thing about cutting hair, I don’t even have any clippers for hair here,” Fitz objected, leaning back in his chair and looking sheepish. 

“That’s why I brought some with me, in case you said yes! Surely you can follow a YouTube tutorial? I’ve already found one, you don’t need to do that- I’d do it myself but I can’t see the back of my head and I just  _ really _ want to get all of this hair gone so I don’t have to think about it anymore; I’ll make you as many sandwiches as you want because I really want this and I really trust you, Fitz, so  _ please- _ ” They pleaded, clasping their hands together and trying to look as hopeful as possible. 

It might’ve been the fact they looked so desperate or the fact they mentioned sandwiches, but Fitz pulled himself up off of his chair, shrugging his shoulders. “If you’re really sure, I suppose I can’t mess it up too badly.”    
  
“Yes! Thank you, Fitz, thank you, thank you, thank you-” Simmons beamed, moving to dig inside of their bag where they had tucked the hair clippers with their books. 

Fitz was one of the main reasons they realised they weren’t cis in the first place. Ever since meeting him and listening to him explain his experiences of dysphoria and euphoria, Simmons had wondered if maybe their disconnect with being called ‘miss’ or ‘daughter’ wasn’t something that had to be pushed down and ignored. They hadn’t told their parents but their ID said J. Simmons instead of the previous Jemma and if their professors ever referred to them by first name, it was Jem. Simmons would tell their parents the next time they were at home; Sue and Colin weren’t unreasonable people, they’d accept their only child no matter what. 

Even knowing that, the thought of trying to explain everything in person scared Jem, so they decided they could think about that later, taking the seat where Fitz was sitting before. “I found a tutorial I think would work well last night, I can play it on your laptop if you’d like?”    
  
Fitz made a noise of agreement, digging around in the drawer next to his bed for something. “We need to cut your hair before I try to shave it, though- just trying to find a decent pair of scissors, sorry.” He pulled out what seemed to be a pair of kitchen scissors, contemplating before seemingly deciding they were alright, placing them on his desk next to where Jem was sitting. “Maybe we should do this in the bathroom, it might be easier to clean up all the- hair- and aren’t you meant to cut hair wet?” 

“Well… I suppose you are, but- I just want it gone for now. I can worry about it looking exactly right later. Shall I go set myself up in there?”    
  
He nodded and they grabbed the chair they were sitting on and the clippers, carefully maneuvering them into Fitz’s bathroom without knocking anything over that might break. Simmons situated themself onto the chair, wriggling around a little to get comfortable.  _ “Do you think I should take my shirt off so I don’t end up with hair all over my clothes,”  _ they called back into the main bedroom,  _ “or will it not matter so much?”  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “I mean- it’s up to you, do what you want-”  _ Fitz called back, sounding a little bit unsure. Jem wasn’t sure why so they didn’t dwell on it, moving to unbutton their shirt and slip it off, revealing their vest (and binder) underneath. They glanced at their reflection in the mirror and took a breath, smiling as they realised in no time at all they’d have (close to) the hairstyle they’d always wanted. Jem clasped their hands together again, their leg bouncing with anticipation; they were so lucky to have somebody like Fitz in their life.

He made his way through the door, carrying a towel and the scissors. “This should be all we need. I’ll deal with most of it with the scissors- do you want your entire head shaving?”    
  
“Just a little bit at the sides, I’ll show you some pictures when we get to that point. Thank you, Fitz, really- for all of this.”    
  
He shrugged a little, offering Simmons a sheepish smile. “What are friends for, huh? You just can’t get mad at me if you look a bit.. weird.” 

They grinned, holding out their little finger. “Pinky promise?” 

Fitz wrapped his finger around Jem’s, grinning right back. “I’ll hold you to that. Wrap that towel around your shoulders and then we should be ready to start, I think.” Simmons did as asked, drumming their fingers on their thigh. They were nervous, but not the kind of anxious that felt suffocating- just kind of exciting, spurring them on. “I think I’m ready.”    
  
“Are you  _ sure _ , Simmons? Because once I’ve cut your hair I can’t- stick it back on or anything-” 

“Trust me, this is the most sure I’ve ever been.” 

Fitz nodded, grabbing the scissors and a sizable chunk of their hair. Jem nodded at him through the mirror, holding their breath as he brought the scissors to their hair. 

Both of them were silent as he cut through the first part of the hair, leaving him holding about twelve inches of hair- and it wasn’t yet  _ close  _ to their scalp. 

Shit. This was it. No going back. Simmons blinked as they turned to look at Fitz holding their hair like a feral animal. Jem couldn’t help it. They started giggling which progressed to laughter which progressed to cackling and choking trying to catch their breath as Fitz joined in, still holding their hair as both of them tried to stop sobbing with laughter. 

When they eventually calmed down, Fitz just started hacking at Simmons’ hair, getting it to an acceptable length as to which he could follow a YouTube tutorial to shave the sides and trim the top as best he could with his limited skills. Simmons kept proclaiming that it wasn’t rocket science, and he just complained that he  _ could _ do rocket science, not hairdressing. By the end of the whole ordeal, they had their eyes closed so they could be surprised by the end result of their new look. The two of them were mostly silent, Fitz sometimes grumbling under his breath or asking them to move a little or rewind the video. 

Eventually, they heard him step back as best he could and let out a slow breath. “I think I’m done, Jem.”    
  
“Do you think it looks nice? Does it suit me?” Jem was itching to open their eyes but refrained, wanting to know what Fitz would say first. 

“I think you look… just like you.” 

“Is that good or bad?”    
  
“Wh- good, obviously, Simmons, who do you think I am!” 

They chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of their neck and jumping a little at the fact they didn’t have to move through their long hair anymore. “My head feels so light, I didn’t realise just how much hair weighed.”    
  
“Are you ever going to open your eyes? I promise, you look fine.”    
  
They held their breath as they opened their eyes, gazing at their reflection in the mirror. Simmons was honestly rather taken aback; they hadn’t expected to feel so… elated at the reflection staring back at them. They turned their head to the side a little, running two fingers over the shaved sides that Fitz had done an amazing job on. Everything felt so right, so  _ them _ , like this new side of Jem who they’d been hiding from the world finally had a chance to shine through. They felt tears of gratitude prick at the corner of their eyes and they wiggled their fingertips as they waved their hands, overwhelmed with just how  _ happy _ they were feeling. 

“Fitz, I- I love it, thank you, thank you so much-” Simmons practically jumped up, throwing themselves at him for a hug as they pressed a thank you kiss to his cheek. He hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms around them, patting their shoulder. 

“I’m glad you like it. Now… that sandwich you promised me-”    
  
“Ugh, Fitz!” Simmons scoffed, tone teasing and light. They really didn’t know what they’d do without their best friend. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave some kudos and maybe a comment if you liked this fic! I really appreciate it <3


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